White Council
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
, the White Council is a group of Eldar Lords
and Wizards
of Middle-earth
, formed to contest the growing power of Dol Guldur
, at the request of Galadriel
. In the narrative, it is officially the Second White Council, a successor of that of the Second Age
.
and not including the Istari. It was formed after Sauron's defeat in Eriador
in . Its main decision was that Eregion
was to be abandoned in favour of Imladris.
, and Gandalf the Grey
, and the chiefs and rulers of the Eldar including Lady Galadriel
of Lothlórien, Master Elrond
of Rivendell
and Círdan the Shipwright
of the Grey Havens. Arahad I, the seventh Chieftain of the Dúnedain, was also a member during his lifetime. Saruman was the head of the White Council, against the wishes of Galadriel, who later described this as the beginning of the long defeat. Other possible members are said to be among the mightiest of Elves, the Elf-lord Glorfindel
; Elrond's chief counsellor Erestor; and Celeborn
, Galadriel's husband, whom Galadriel herself called "Wise". The two Blue Wizards
were not part of the Council. Tolkien
does not give a list of all the members of the council, 'other lords of the Eldar
' is as close as The Silmarillion
gives to a list. Unbeknownst to the other members of the Council, Círdan (later Gandalf), Galadriel, and Elrond were also the bearers of the Three Rings
of the Elves.
The Second White Council first met in to counter the growing threat from Dol Guldur
. Gandalf travelled through Southern Mirkwood in T.A. 2850, and had learned of the identity of the Necromancer, who ruled over Dol Guldur. In T.A. 2851 the White Council met to decide whether to act on Gandalf's discovery, but Saruman dissuaded the others.
When he realized that the One Ring
was possibly still in the area of the Gladden Fields
and that Sauron
was actively seeking it, Saruman relented and in T.A. 2941 Sauron was driven out of Dol Guldur, only to re-appear in Mordor
, long prepared for him. This White Council meeting, of late summer T.A. 2941, was also the reason that Gandalf was unable to accompany Bilbo Baggins
and the dwarves
on a portion of their trip to the Lonely Mountain
, in The Hobbit
.
The Council last met in T.A. 2953 to discuss Sauron's attempts to find the One Ring. At this meeting Saruman insisted that the One Ring had fallen into the Anduin
, and had been swept out to sea. During this meeting there was much tension between Saruman and Gandalf, for Gandalf already suspected Saruman of desiring to possess the One Ring.
announced development of an open world role-playing game called The Lord of the Rings: The White Council
, due for release in late 2007, in which players would serve the Council. The game is said to include elements of Peter Jackson
's film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings
and other Tolkien books, since Electronic Arts held licenses to both at the time. The game was set to be released for Sony
's PlayStation 3
, Microsoft
's Xbox 360
and for personal computers, but the game has been delayed and ultimately may be cancelled.
said that the White Council will be appearing in their two-movie adaptation of The Hobbit, now officially set for release in 2012-13.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
, the White Council is a group of Eldar Lords
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
and Wizards
Wizard (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Wizards of Middle-earth are a group of beings outwardly resembling Men but possessing much greater physical and mental power. They are also called the Istari by the Elves. The Sindarin word is Ithryn...
of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, formed to contest the growing power of Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur was Sauron's stronghold in Mirkwood in the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. It is first mentioned in The Hobbit. The hill itself, rocky and barren, was the highest point in the southwestern part of the forest. Before Sauron's occupation it was called Amon Lanc...
, at the request of Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
. In the narrative, it is officially the Second White Council, a successor of that of the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
.
First White Council
Little is known about the First White Council, the members of which were mostly the same as the Second, but led by Gil-galadGil-galad
Ereinion Gil-galad is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and featured in The Silmarillion.- Character overview :...
and not including the Istari. It was formed after Sauron's defeat in Eriador
Eriador
Eriador is a large region in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. In the Second Age, and possibly much earlier, it was largely forested, but the Dúnedain felled most of the forests to build ships. Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which...
in . Its main decision was that Eregion
Eregion
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Eregion or Hollin was a kingdom of the Noldorin Elves in Eriador during the Second Age, located near the West Gate of Moria under the shadow of the Hithaeglir . Its capital was Ost-in-Edhil...
was to be abandoned in favour of Imladris.
Second White Council
The Second White Council's membership included the Wizards Saruman the WhiteSaruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
, and Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
, and the chiefs and rulers of the Eldar including Lady Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
of Lothlórien, Master Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
of Rivendell
Rivendell
Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...
and Círdan the Shipwright
Círdan
Círdan the Shipwright is a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien. He was a Telerin Elf, a great mariner and shipwright, and lord of the Falas during much of the First Age. He was the bearer of the Great Ring Narya, which he in turn gave to Gandalf.He had a beard, which was rare for...
of the Grey Havens. Arahad I, the seventh Chieftain of the Dúnedain, was also a member during his lifetime. Saruman was the head of the White Council, against the wishes of Galadriel, who later described this as the beginning of the long defeat. Other possible members are said to be among the mightiest of Elves, the Elf-lord Glorfindel
Glorfindel
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Glorfindel is a name used twice for an Elf appearing in the tales of Middle-earth. He is introduced in various material relating to the First Age of Middle-earth, including The Silmarillion. The second instance is for a character of The Lord of the Rings, which...
; Elrond's chief counsellor Erestor; and Celeborn
Celeborn
Celeborn is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings as the Elven husband of Galadriel, Lord of the Galadhrim; and co-ruler along with Galadriel of Lothlórien. He was the father of Celebrían — the wife of Elrond — and thus the...
, Galadriel's husband, whom Galadriel herself called "Wise". The two Blue Wizards
Blue Wizards
Blue Wizards are fictional characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.They are two of the five Wizards sent by angelic beings called the Valar to Middle-earth to aid in the struggle against Sauron...
were not part of the Council. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
does not give a list of all the members of the council, 'other lords of the Eldar
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
' is as close as The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
gives to a list. Unbeknownst to the other members of the Council, Círdan (later Gandalf), Galadriel, and Elrond were also the bearers of the Three Rings
Three Rings
In Tolkien's legendarium, the Three Rings are magical artifacts forged by the Elves of Eregion. After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power....
of the Elves.
The Second White Council first met in to counter the growing threat from Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur was Sauron's stronghold in Mirkwood in the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. It is first mentioned in The Hobbit. The hill itself, rocky and barren, was the highest point in the southwestern part of the forest. Before Sauron's occupation it was called Amon Lanc...
. Gandalf travelled through Southern Mirkwood in T.A. 2850, and had learned of the identity of the Necromancer, who ruled over Dol Guldur. In T.A. 2851 the White Council met to decide whether to act on Gandalf's discovery, but Saruman dissuaded the others.
When he realized that the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
was possibly still in the area of the Gladden Fields
Gladden Fields
The Gladden Fields is a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In his works, the Gladden Fields are located where the Gladden river joins the Anduin....
and that Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
was actively seeking it, Saruman relented and in T.A. 2941 Sauron was driven out of Dol Guldur, only to re-appear in Mordor
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor or Morhdorh was the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of northwestern Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. Orodruin, a volcano in Mordor, was the destination of the Fellowship of the Ring in the quest to...
, long prepared for him. This White Council meeting, of late summer T.A. 2941, was also the reason that Gandalf was unable to accompany Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...
and the dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
on a portion of their trip to the Lonely Mountain
Lonely Mountain
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Lonely Mountain is a mountain in the northeast of Rhovanion. It is also the source of the Celduin river.- Origins of the Kingdom Under the Mountain :...
, in The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
.
The Council last met in T.A. 2953 to discuss Sauron's attempts to find the One Ring. At this meeting Saruman insisted that the One Ring had fallen into the Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
, and had been swept out to sea. During this meeting there was much tension between Saruman and Gandalf, for Gandalf already suspected Saruman of desiring to possess the One Ring.
Video game
In July 2006, Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
announced development of an open world role-playing game called The Lord of the Rings: The White Council
The Lord of the Rings: The White Council
The Lord of the Rings: The White Council was a role-playing video game that started development at EA Redwood Shores. It was to be based on the high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R...
, due for release in late 2007, in which players would serve the Council. The game is said to include elements of Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and other Tolkien books, since Electronic Arts held licenses to both at the time. The game was set to be released for Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and for personal computers, but the game has been delayed and ultimately may be cancelled.
Movie version of The Hobbit
In a May 2008 joint online interview, producer Peter Jackson and director at the time Guillermo del ToroGuillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
said that the White Council will be appearing in their two-movie adaptation of The Hobbit, now officially set for release in 2012-13.